CHAPTER 138: CHAPTER 138: STANDING AFTER THE FLAMES

The cavern shook.

Golden energy on Shaurya’s body spiraled upward like a divine inferno.

Crimson magma-fire radiated from Lorgann like a collapsing star.

Both forces surged forward at once—

And the battle resumed.

Shaurya vanished.

FWIP—FWIP—FWIP!!

Aerial Steps exploded beneath his feet, each step creating tiny shockwaves that rippled across the molten floor.

In a blink he appeared at Lorgann’s chest level—

Fist pulled back, pink aura roaring—

"BIZZARE FIST!!"

He thrust his fist straight at the dragon’s jaw—

But—

Lorgann’s massive shape blurred.

A titan moving with the speed of lightning.

Shaurya’s punch cut through empty air.

His eyes widened—

"What—?!"

A thunderous gust shrieked behind Shaurya.

He twisted mid-air—

Lorgann’s molten shadow towered behind him, its wings tucked tight, its claw already swinging.

A mountain-sized strike.

A burning storm.

Shaurya drew the Meteorite Sword instantly—

SHIIING—!!

"Ultimate Sword Stri—!!"

He parried—

CLAAAAAANG!!

The claw blasted against the blade like a meteor smashing into divine steel.

Even with the Heavenly-grade technique, Shaurya lacked elevation—

His body was airborne.

No footing.

No leverage.

No support.

The force overwhelmed him.

It smashed him downward—

THUDD!!!

He crashed on both feet, sliding back.

The ground cracked into a spiderweb under his boots.

Dust rolled outward.

Heat shimmered.

Flames coiled around his legs.

Shaurya steadied himself.

Barely.

THE CLASH CONTINUES

Lorgann descended from above like a collapsing mountain.

BOOOOOM!!

Both fighter struck simultaneously—

Shaurya with fierce sword arcs.

Lorgann with molten claws that hissed like boiling iron.

Sword met scale.

Flames met flames.

Golden sparks rained.

Crimson embers howled.

Each collision echoed through the entire abyss—

CLASH—!!

CLAAANG—!!

BOOOM—!!

Suddenly—

SYSTEM INTERRUPTS

DING—!!

A golden window burst into view beside Shaurya’s face.

[Divine Form End Warning: 1 minute remaining.]

Shaurya’s jaw tightened.

One minute.

JUST one.

His heartbeat spiked.

"Not now...!"

But there was no time to panic.

BOOOOM—!!

The dragon appeared at Shaurya’s right side—moving with terrifying fluidity for its size.

It raised its colossal claw high—

Molten veins glowing.

Then it hammered downward.

Shaurya’s instincts screamed—

He swung the Meteorite Sword upward—

CLAAAANG!!

Sparks burst like exploding stars.

The impact hurled Shaurya backward.

He flipped mid-air, pushed off an Aerial Step—and counter-charged.

"HAH!!"

He thrust the sword toward Lorgann’s chest.

A perfect, lightning-fast pierce.

But—

The dragon side-stepped.

A Primordial Beast.

A being far above Demonic Beasts.

Centuries of combat instinct sharpened into perfection.

Shaurya’s blade sliced empty space.

BUT SHAURYA DOESN’T STOP

Mid-air, he twisted his body—

Meteorite Sword glowing with fierce golden spiritual energy.

"ULTIMATE—

SWORD—

STRIKE!!!"

He carved a tremendous crescent of golden power—

FWOOSH—!!

A golden spiritual slash tore forward like a celestial blade.

The air cracked.

Heat bent.

Stone platforms split under the pressure.

Lorgann tried to dodge—

But the slash grazed its left cheek.

SKRRRSH—!!

Blue blood sprayed into the burning air.

The Primordial Dragon froze.

Its massive jaw clenched.

Its molten eyes narrowed sharply.

A low, volcanic growl rumbled inside its chest—

"Human..."

Its lips curled back, revealing obsidian fangs drenched in magma.

"You DARE."

Lorgann inhaled—

The cavern trembled.

Flames swirled into its throat—

Crimson.

Black.

Molten.

Spiritual.

Ancient.

The temperature skyrocketed.

Rivers of lava-water boiled violently.

Shaurya’s pupils shrank.

The dragon’s chest expanded.

"Flame Cannon—!!"

The air vibrated.

The world boiled.

Then—

LORGANN UNLEASHED IT.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!

A colossal beam of crimson-black annihilation burst toward Shaurya—

The ground it passed over melted instantly.

He didn’t draw his sword.

He sheathed it.

He planted both feet.

He clenched his right fist.

A golden flame burst from his arm like a blazing sun.

His aura swirled.

His golden pupils sharpened.

He thrust his fist forward—

"DRAGON...

FISTTTTTTTTT!!!"

A colossal Golden Spiritual Dragon burst from his fist—

Roaring.

Burning.

Alive.

It spiraled through the air—

And collided with the Flame Cannon.

The two monumental forces met—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A shockwave ripped outward.

The cavern walls cracked violently.

Floating platforms shattered.

Molten droplets burst into steam.

The spiritual energies devoured each other—

Flame vs Flame.

Golden Dragon vs Crimson Cannon.

Then—

The Dragon Fist overpowered it.

Lorgann’s Flame Cannon snapped apart—

KA-THOOOOOM!!

The golden dragon slammed into Lorgann’s chest—

Light swallowed everything.

Heat blasted the cavern.

The ceiling shook.

Dust erupted.

Stones tumbled.

A wall of golden energy smashed the Primordial Dragon backward—

BOOOOOM—!!!

Smoke filled the cavern.

Flames flickered weakly.

Chunks of stone drifted in the molten air.

Shaurya dropped to one knee, panting.

"Haah... haah... haah..."

His arm trembled.

His chest burned.

Golden aura flickered dangerously— a sign of the Divine Form beginning to fail.

He stared through the smoke—

Trying to see if the attack worked.

Trying to see if Lorgann was finally hurt.

The smoke parted.

Shaurya’s eyes widened.

Lorgann stepped forward.

Barely injured.

Only thin smoke trailed from its chest.

A faint scorch mark.

A single drop of blue blood.

Nothing more.

Still gigantic.

Still overwhelming.

Still terrifying.

The dragon wiped the blood with the back of its claw.

Then smiled.

A slow, murderous, ancient smile.

"Human..."

Its voice rumbled like a waking volcano.

"That was amusing."

Its eyes sharpened—

A furnace of molten gold.

"But it will take MUCH more than that...

to harm me."

The cavern was silent.

Only the fading echo of the golden Dragon Fist lingered in the molten air.

Shaurya stared ahead—eyes wide—

breath shaky—

chest rising and falling in sharp bursts.

Lorgann stepped from the smoke with barely a scratch.

A monster.

A mountain.

A primordial titan.

Shaurya’s disbelief echoed inside his skull.

That attack... didn’t even pierce him...?

Suddenly, His heartbeat hammered inside his ribs.

THUD.

His pupils trembled.

THUD.

His skin prickled.

THUD...

Then—

His vision flashed white.

A shock tore through his spine.

"—gh!?"

The golden aura around him shattered like broken glass.

PSSHHHH—

His Divine Form vanished instantly.

The mark on his forehead dissolved into thin air.

His golden pupils dimmed back to black.

And blood burst from his mouth—

"—PFT!"

He dropped to one knee, slamming a palm into the cracked floor.

His shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

His breath turned ragged, harsh, desperate.

"Haaah... haaah... haaah—!!"

His entire body was shaking.

The impact of losing Divine Form hit like a thousand needles stabbing every nerve.

The world spun.

The heat suffocated.

Everything hurt.

Then—

SYSTEM APPEARS

DING—!!

A golden window flickered beside his face.

[System: Host... your Divine Form has ended.]

[System: What will you do now...?]

Shaurya didn’t answer.

He couldn’t.

His jaw locked.

Teeth ground together.

His fingers clawed at the cracked stone.

His body screamed to collapse.

His muscles begged to give up.

His bones trembled like they might break apart.

But his expression—

hardened.

He glared forward with a spark of defiance still inside him.

Lorgann’s molten eyes sharpened.

The Primordial Dragon lowered its head slightly, studying Shaurya’s kneeling form.

A deep rumble vibrated through its chest.

Then—

ROAAAAAAAAAR!!!

The roar shook the entire cavern.

Flames burst from its nostrils.

Air boiled around its wings.

Heat shimmered like a warping barrier.

The dragon’s voice echoed like an ancient god passing judgment:

"Human..."

Its jaw curled into a cruel grin.

"Your power has weakened."

Another step forward.

The molten floor cracked.

"Seems... this is your end."

Shaurya breathed heavily.

He didn’t look up.

Lorgann tilted its head, amused.

"Accept your death with dignity."

Shaurya ignored the insult.

He simply closed his eyes.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

His breathing, heavy and broken moments ago, began to steady.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Calmness washed over his battered frame.

Lorgann’s molten eyes narrowed.

"...Meditating? Now?"

The flames around the dragon surged.

"Human. This is useless."

Its wings opened halfway.

"This is the end."

Lorgann lowered its head.

Sucked in a massive breath.

Flames spiraled into its throat.

Crimson.

Black.

Molten.

Destructive.

The entire chamber flashed red from the gathering power.

The air thickened.

The floor glowed.

Heat warped everything.

Shaurya stood slowly.

Straight.

Unwavering.

His eyes still closed.

His body—

though broken—

stopped trembling.

He exhaled softly through his mouth.

"Haah..."

Lorgann growled.

"POINTLESS."

It opened its jaws—

FLAME CANNON—!!!

Shaurya simply lifted both arms outward—

A T-POSE.

Calm.

Unmoving.

Defiant.

Right before the attack hit—

DING—!!

[System: HOST!!!]

[System: WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?]

[System: I know you are insane but THIS—this is suicide!!]

[System: Are you surrendering!?]

Shaurya didn’t reply.

He smiled.

A small, fearless smile.

The Flame Cannon swallowed him whole.

A tidal wave of molten destruction engulfed Shaurya.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The attack crashed into him like a volcanic tsunami.

Flames exploded outward.

Heat scorched the ceiling.

Stone floors vaporized.

The crater beneath him widened by tens of meters.

For a moment—

Only blazing light existed.

Only heat.

Only annihilation.

Shaurya disappeared inside the inferno.

The world became fire.

Shaurya’s silhouette faded and flickered inside the storm of crimson-black flames.

His hair whipped violently.

His robes burned at the edges.

His skin cracked and bled.

But—

He brought both hands together.

CLAP—!!

His palms met in a divine gesture.

Golden spiritual energy erupted around him—

thin at first—

then blazing—

then colossal.

The flames around him trembled.

The molten storm fractured.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

A second explosion tore through the first.

Golden light burst outward from Shaurya’s location like a miniature sun.

Dust and flame were blown away in all directions.

The cavern ceiling cracked.

Floating platforms flipped.

Molten rivers surged upward.

Lorgann’s head jerked backward in shock.

"What—!?"

Lorgann’s molten eyes widened.

The dragon stepped back half a pace.

"...Impossible."

The dust wavering before it glowed faintly gold.

Then that gold intensified—

brighter—

brighter—

blinding—

Until—

BOOMMMMM!!

A pillar of golden aura erupted upward from the ground.

The cavern trembled.

Flames rippled backward.

Wind tore through the room.

From the heart of that pillar—

A silhouette emerged.

Standing.

Straight.

Shoulders squared.

No longer trembling.

No longer bleeding.

His wounds were still there—

but the blood had stopped flowing.

The burns had stopped spreading.

His aura...

transcended.

Shaurya slowly opened his eyes.

They glowed molten gold again.

A new brilliance.

A new sharpness.

A new pressure.

On his forehead—

The golden Sudarshan Chakra symbol burned anew.

SYSTEM SHOCK

DING—!!!

The system window nearly flickered in panic.

[System: H-HOST... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE...!?]

[System: Y-YOU—YOU BROKETHROUGH!!]

[System: YOU ARE NOW NASCENT SOUL LEVEL 9!!]

[System: HOW!?!?!?]

Shaurya tilted his head slightly.

He wiped a bit of soot from his cheek.

He smiled gently.

Lorgann’s entire massive body tensed.

"You... actually survived my attack... shocked me once."

Its molten eyes narrowed further.

"But to BREAK THROUGH inside it—"

Its voice cracked like molten boulders.

"WHAT ARE YOU, HUMAN!?"

---

SHAURYA’S ANSWER

Shaurya exhaled.

A calm, steady breath.

He stepped forward once—

CRACK.

The ground split.

He met Lorgann’s gaze with pure, unshakable certainty.

Then he stretched his neck—

CRACK—CRACK.

His smile grew.

Slow.

Fearless.

Unbreakable.

"No matter how strong my opponent is..."

A golden aura sparked around his fists.

"...in the end—"

Golden flames surged around his legs.

His eyes burned like molten suns.

"I..."

A low, confident laugh escaped him.

"I ALWAYS WIN."

TO BE CONTINUED...